Waiting No Longer
by The Silver Muse
Summary: Draco Malfoy leads the slytherins and the children of deatheaters to freedom. Will eventually be slash. Rated R for possible future content.
1. Draco's Diary

Greetings and good fortune to all you out in the virtual world! I am the Silver Muse, a name that I truly hope you will become familiar with. I've written many stories, and inspired far more, though never under my own name; but that's about to change.

I'm pleased to present to you my first story. Placed in the Harry Potter Universe, this story is largely about Draco Malfoy, and the younger slytherin generation's fight for freedom. Please be duly warned that this story will eventually become slash. That means that two boys will fall in love. If you have a problem with that I suggest you evolve and come back later.

Remember that I own only the plot and maybe some of the terms and ideas, everything else belongs to the author, and whoever else has a legal claim to it. 

You can't sue me anyway; freedom of expression, remember? It's not as if I'm claiming royalties. 

Read on and enjoy, reviews of all kinds are always welcome.

**Waiting No Longer**

**Prologue **

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…When the sun goes down

And the moon is high

I can't control the flood of all these tears inside

And if they only knew

They'd be so surprised

I'm just a good pretender in a great disguise…

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An excerpt from the diary of Draco Malfoy:

_People think they know me, just because they know my family._

_Potter and his little Gryffindor friends think I'm an evil, conniving, spiteful little_ Malfoy. _And that's true, to a point. _

_My father believes me to be a loyal minion of the Dark Lord, just like him. He never once asked me what I wanted. Not that I'd tell him the truth. Mind you. I value my life far more than that. _

_Even my godfather Severus makes his own assumptions. He thinks I'll grow up to be a spy like him, just because I haven't reported what I know about him to my parents._

_Dumbledore seems tot think the same, although I think he doubts it more that Sev does. It's just as hard for him to get past the whole Malfoy bit as anyone else._

_Because of these people I act the way I'm expected, the way I believe will allow me to survive. But perhaps surviving isn't enough anymore…_

_How many of my friends have I lost? How many families torn apart by a battle that has been going on far too long? Each side shares equal blame; in my eyes. Aurors and order members kill deatheaters and their kind whenever they can; and the deatheaters kill them and their families. No matter the reasoning, the end result remains the same. Death._

_And how many of my friends hide themselves away, just like me? Pretending to be ignorant, or cruel; prejudiced, or sadistic? Never showing their true potential, their true talents, because they fear for their very lives._

_I wonder what the great golden boy of Gryffindor would think if he knew that I love muggle music, or that Vincent and Greg are skilled in art and writing, respectively? _

_I wonder how he would react if he knew how much I detest the idea of the dark mark?_

_It's up to me now, and them. All of us. We have to make a decision, and it has to be soon._

_It's time for us to take our lives back… _

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Yes, it was short, but please try to remember this is only a prologue. There will be much, much more to come. 

The lyrics at the beginning were from Martina McBride's song – 'A Great Disguise'

The Silver Muse


	2. The beginning

I would like to thank DisgruntledFox for being my first reviewer, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I like writing it. 

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Well, they'll call you a hero or a traitor

But you'll find out that, sooner or later,

Nobody in this world is gonna do it for you

Do what you gotta do…

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Draco stood in the hallway leading from the common room to the boys' dormitory, just watching. How different it was here, how much more peaceful things seemed than anywhere else. Not even at home could the others act the way they were now. Draco looked around the room.

Pansy was sitting on a couch, quietly reading to some of the first years, all of whom were watching her with adoring eyes. She read to them every night, always books they could use. It was a brilliant way for them to learn.

Greg was drawing one of the third years, a sad young girl who had just recently lost her brother. Draco briefly considered going over there to speak with her, but decided to let them be for now. 

Vincent wasn't around, but Draco knew he was probably back in the dorms, working on his latest story. Draco wondered if it would be as sad as the others he had written lately.

Draco watched his friends interacting with each other, and felt a brief flare of anger. It wasn't fair they couldn't be like this all the time. But it was necessary. Just like Draco himself, all of them were forced to act the way they were taught to. 

It was wearing on them. Draco could see the sadness in his friends whenever he looked at them, although he doubted anyone else would notice.

Draco cleared his throat. Pansy and Greg looked up. Greg whispered something to the third year he was drawing, and stood up. 

"I've got to go now, but I'll see you all here again tomorrow, okay?" Pansy said, dismissing the first years. They all sighed in disappointment, but didn't argue. Even they knew something important was going on with the older students. Pansy walked over to Draco, Greg right behind her.

They walked into the boys dorms. Pansy followed; they had all long ago chosen to ignore the rule keeping the boys from the girls, and vice versa. Vincent looked up as they all settled on Draco's bed. 

"Okay, any news?" Draco asked. Vincent closed his notebook.

"So far everything's working out. We've gotten word to nearly all of them, except for the ones too young to make the decision." He said.

"And?" Draco asked patiently.

"And they all agree. It must be done soon though," Vincent hesitated a moment. "Some of them may not last much longer." 

"Any word from Brian Sinder?" 

Pansy nodded, "Yes, he managed to convince his parents that the new broom was because he was going to try out for the quidditch team."

"Good."

"I'd like to add that, as we all know, Blaise has broken his leg, and will be unable to take the Morgrin twins." 

Draco looked over at Greg. "Is someone else available?"  Greg started to shake his head but Pansy interrupted him. 

"I'll do it. Celina Broom is old enough that she can ride safely without me holding her."

"If you're sure…"

"Draco, I wouldn't offer if I didn't think I could do it." Pansy said indignantly. Draco smiled at her.

"Of course, thank you. And the tunnels? Where are we with them?" 

"Nearly done. We're just inspecting the rooms and security now. It shouldn't be more than a week. Maybe sooner."

The four friends sat in silence for awhile. They often did, especially lately, just to be near each other. Although it was never spoken, each of them found comfort in the stillness. It seemed like there was always something to do, so why speak if they didn't need to?

"We're actually doing this, aren't we?" Pansy asked after awhile.

"Having doubts?" Draco raised an eyebrow at her. She shook her head.

"Not really. It's just… big, you know? This is going to change a lot for us."

"Isn't that the point?" Greg asked her gently. Pansy smiled at him.

"It is, isn't it?" She frowned again. "I can't help but fear what will happen if someone finds out before we go." Vincent nodded.

"Or if someone notices us taking the little ones. That's what I worry about." He said solemnly. 

"We each have our doubts." Draco told them. "But we have to stay strong. It isn't only for us that we do this, remember that."

"Is it right, though?" Pansy asked. Draco looked at her questioningly. "To take the ones too little to agree." She told him.

"Pansy, what do you think will happen to them when we disappear? They will turn to the little ones, if we leave them. We can't let them grow up the way we did. They deserve more."

Pansy considered this for awhile.

"You're right, they do." 

Greg put his arm around her.

"We're all having doubts, there's nothing to be ashamed of." 

Pansy smiled again. Once more they lapsed into silence. Draco found himself thinking about the conversation. _'If my closest friends and advisers are having these kind of doubts, what about the others? Maybe it's time I speak to them.'  
  
_

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"Harry?" Hermione asked. He looked at her expectantly. She had been staring at her book for the last half hour, a sure sign she wanted to talk about something, but wasn't sure how to say it. He hoped it wouldn't be about that incident in potions today, when Harry had lost them 20 points due to not paying attention. Not that it had been his fault…

"Yes?" he asked when he realised she was still waiting for him to say something.

"Have you noticed anything weird about Malfoy and his friends lately?" 

Ron looked up from his books across the table. 

"And this would be weird in some unusual way?" he asked with a snort. Harry and Hermione stared at him. 

"I just meant that they're normally pretty weird and…" Ron's voice trailed off and he flushed. He'd forgotten that they had decided to stop being mean to the slytherins, at least when there wasn't a good reason.

"Thanks Ron, we got it." Harry told him. "Weird as in how?" he asked Hermione carefully. Truth was Harry had noticed something odd, but he couldn't place it. He hoped Hermione had some idea.

"They haven't been nearly as offensive as they usually are, and did you notice how you never really see the seventh years outside of class anymore?" Hermione paused. "Even some of the sixth years have been pretty scarce."

Actually Harry hadn't noticed that. All he'd noticed was that Draco had barely even spoken to him since the seventh year began_. 'You'd think I'd be happy, but…'_

"Why are you blushing, Harry?" Ron asked suddenly.

"Er… no reason." Harry decided that no, he did _not_ like Draco Malfoy. _'It was just hormones, right? Every teenage boy goes through it.'_

"You're still blushing." Ron told him. Harry glared at him.

"I am not; it's just hot in here." 

"So what do we do about it?" Harry asked Hermione. "Do you think they're up to something?"   

Hermione was about to answer when Ron piped up.

"When are they _not_ up to something?" 

Harry and Hermione stared at him again. Ron threw up his hands and sighed.

"I know, okay? What can I say, I've got a problem."

Hermione shook her head. 

"No, we shouldn't do anything. Even Malfoy deserves the benefit of the doubt occasionally. Besides," she added "If anything serious was happening, Dumbledore would know about it."

"I guess you're right." Harry said. Although he'd be keeping a close eye on Draco anyway. '_For purely defensive reasons of course'._

"You're blushing again Harry."

"Shut up, Ron."

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The week passed quickly, with Draco barely even noticing. Despite his reassurances to his friends, Draco was extremely nervous. This was the first time he'd done anything so blatantly against his father's wishes._ 'And what a way to start.' He thought. ___

Draco reached the portrait outside the slytherin dormitories and took a deep breath. It was time to address the troops. He snickered slightly to himself at the idea of these _kids_ as troops.

"Freedom." Draco told the portrait. It swung open silently, then closed as soon as he'd passed. Draco paused momentarily as he realised that _everyone_, all the slytherin of every grade were waiting and watching him. It was slightly unnerving the way they were all staring at him. _What if I mess this up? They're all depending on me! I wonder if this is how Harry feels…Draco shook his head. He wasn't about to doubt his plans now, it was far too late for that._

"You all know why you're here," Draco started, sounding far more confident than he felt. "And you all know what you have to do. Tomorrow is the day we've been waiting for, the day we've all been working so hard to reach. Our freedom lies in sight, and all we have to do know is stand up and take it. Never before have we taken the kind of chance we are about to take, and never before have we faced such risk." 

Draco looked around the room, at the hope he saw in the faces there. "I'm not going to lie to you; this is very dangerous. If anyone of you is caught, you may not survive. I won't force you to go through with it, but I will ask you to remember this: We do this not only for ourselves, but for the ones who will come after us." 

There was determination in everyone's eyes; Draco felt his own eyes sting. 

"How many of you have younger siblings? Little boys and girls who are being raised to hate the world around them?" There was a whisper of noise from the group. "And how many of us have lost older siblings and friends to a fight we never asked for?" Draco saw tears in the eyes of many, although there was no sound. A slytherin never cries…  "Now we will take our lives back, stand up for ourselves and protect the ones we love." Draco took a deep breath.

"Tomorrow we find our freedom!" There was a cheer throughout the room as he finished, and Draco smiled. 

There is always a way…

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What do you think? Not bad for a beginning, huh? It wasn't as long as I would have liked, but there will be more. I kind of liked where this chapter stopped. Now all we have to find out is: What exactly are the slytherin planning? And what will happen when Harry finds out? 

Oooo… 

  
As a muse, I welcome all ideas. If I see one I like, I may include it in the story.

The lyrics at the beginning are from Garth Brooks 'Do What You Gotta Do'

The Silver Muse


	3. Something's Up

Sorry It's been so long guys, I've been busy with my new little boy. I do, however want to make a special thanks to Kit. Who took the time out to actually e-mail me and tell me why she/he loved this story. If it weren't for you, Kit, I may have retired this one unfinished.

Read on, dear fans!

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Keep 'em guessin', keep 'em laughin'   
Build that wall up high   
As long as they don't see the other side   
You've really done it   
Done a number, a number on my soul   
But I'll be damned if I'll ever let you know…

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Harry felt a glimmer of remorse as he set out alone from the common room, hidden under his invisibility cloak.  Nearly every other time he had done this it had been with the help of either Ron or Hermione, or both.

This time, he simply couldn't imagine trying to explain to them why he was going. To Draco. What would he say?

"Oh, by the way guys, I've had a huge crush the guy who's made our lives miserable for the last seven years, and now I'm going to go check up on him because I think something's wrong." Yeah, that would go over well. 

Or maybe Harry would tell them that he hadn't even been brave enough to give Draco the slightest hint that he didn't hate him anymore, let alone liked him enough to worry about him.

Some Gryffindor he was.

Harry crept through the castle, down several corridors. At one point he had to backtrack because Mrs. Norris had caught his scent and was following him. He managed to lose her close to the Great Hall.

As Harry entered the dungeons the little hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He couldn't place it exactly, but something was definitely wrong. 

Usually the whole castle was buzzing with energy, even down here in the dungeons. It was a sign of life, something Harry had noticed happened around large numbers of people.

But as he entered the dungeons Harry felt a distinct drop in those energy levels, as if they were deserted. It was creepy.  

He walked to the entrance of the Slytherin dorms, unsure of what to do. He didn't know the password, and it wasn't like he could go ask Snape. That would be even worse than trying to explain what he was doing to Ron and Hermione.

Of course, Snape had been much nicer to Harry, due mainly to the fact that they both were involved with the Order. Not that he'd ever stopped being a prat, but at least he wasn't a completely insufferable bastard. Except during class.

  
Harry nearly yelped, stumbling backwards as the portrait to the Slytherin dorms suddenly opened. He looked down at himself frantically, afraid the fall might have dislodged the cloak and left him visible to;

Draco.

Harry stopped moving. Of all the people who could have stepped into the hall, why was it Draco? He looked like hell.

Draco was obviously frazzled. His normally perfect hair was sticking up in ways that Harry found rather cute, and he looked very tired. He was also carrying a broomstick. 

Harry was too busy staring, trying to figure out what was going on, and he failed to notice Draco step in his direction.

"Bloody Hell!!!" Draco screeched as he fell to the floor, tangled up in Harry's invisibility cloak. Harry stared at him wide eyed, noting that Draco was turning rather pale.

"Potter." The word was spoken with so little feeling that Harry's concern doubled instantly. When Draco usually said his name his voice was full of venom; now he sounded almost, _resigned_.

"Malfoy." Harry said evenly. "Going flying, are you?" he added, eyeing Malfoy's broom. 

"It's none of your business, Potter."

They both got up, brushing the dust off their robes. They stared at each other.

"I'll be going now." Draco said finally. He turned, but Harry grabbed the sleeve of his robe.

"I know something's up, Malfoy. You've been acting weird all term." Harry half expected Draco to scream at him, to hit him maybe, or at least deny it, but Draco just stared at him.

"Potter," Draco said finally. "Leave, now."  For a moment Harry was too surprised to speak. 

"Not until you tell me what's going on. Malfoy, Draco, I know something's up. If you need help…" 

Draco was the one who looked surprised now; hell _Harry_ was shocked. Of all the things he's thought of saying, that was not one of them. Draco looked at Harry suspiciously, but it seemed to Harry that his expression was softer somehow.

"The best thing you can do for me right now, _Harry,_ is to go back to your dorm and forget you saw me." Draco pulled his sleeve from Harry's grasp and walked away, still holding his broomstick.

Harry watched the empty hallway for some time after Draco had gone, trying to make sense of what had just happened. 

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"So you let him leave?" Ron asked the next morning. He and Harry were sitting on their beds, having woken up before the other boys. Harry had told Ron of his strange encounter with Draco the night before, changing a few of the details to make it seem as if he had just been out for a night time stroll. 

"Well, yeah. Why not? It's not like he was hurting anyone." Harry said defensively. "I've gone out for a midnight flight a time or two myself." 

"Yes, but this is _Malfoy_! I seriously doubt that he went out to play solitary quidditch in the early hours on a weekday. Even if he weren't up to something, Malfoy wouldn't dare stay up that late with classes in the morning."

Harry shook his head.

"Honestly, Ron. You make him sound like a female Hermione. Malfoy's good in class, but he's not obsessive."

Ron was staring at him in horror. 

"Mate, I didn't just hear you say _Draco Malfoy_ was like a female Hermione! I'm dating her! I do _not need that mental image when we're snogging!!!_"  

Harry sighed. Lately talking to Ron about anything serious seemed pointless. All he ever thought about was sex and quidditch. 

"I did say he _wasn't_ like a female Hermione." Harry pointed out. Ron through up his hands.

"It doesn't matter! The thought was there!" 

"It's not my fault what you think."

Harry dodged a pillow Ron threw at him, and nearly fell out of bed when the dormitory door burst open.  Professor McGonagall stood in the doorway.

"I want everyone up and dressed in two minutes, and assembled in the common room. No dawdling!" The door slammed shut behind her. 

The other boys in the dorm who'd been woken by the slamming door stared at it. 

"What's got her knickers in a bunch?" Seamus asked, pulling on his robes over his pyjamas

"Why'd she burst in here like that?!" Dean groaned. "Girls shouldn't _do_ that! What if one of us had been sleeping starkers?" He threw the covers off and climbed out of the bed, shivering at the cold floor on his bare feet.

"At least she's an _old_ girl." Ron said cheerfully pulling on his robes. "They could have sent Snape."

Neville paused to shudder as he crawled out of bed. 

"Don't ever say that again." He told Ron. 

Harry was only half listening as he dressed quickly; his couldn't help thinking that whatever was happening had something to do with Draco. Ron may have been right after all; maybe Draco _was_ doing something he shouldn't have last night. A small seed of worry began to grow inside Harry. What if Draco had been hurt? Or kidnapped? Or killed?  

As they headed down to the common room, Harry could see that it wasn't only their dorm, or even their year, all the students in Gryffindor house were assembled in the common room. 

Hermione was waiting for them at the bottom if the stairs.

"What do you think is happening?" She asked, frowning sleepily. "Are we under attack or something?"

"I doubt it." Ron told her. "Harry here ran into Malfoy last night," Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs, making him wince.

"What was that for?" He growled. 

"I wasn't supposed to be out last night! So keep your voice down!" Harry hissed, although he doubted anyone was paying attention to them. Everyone else seemed to be waiting for McGonagall to tell them what was happening. 

Hermione glared at Harry.

"And just why exactly were you out after hours, anyway?" She asked. 

"I couldn't sleep." Harry said, not wanting her to know anything else. Well, it was true, it just wasn't the whole truth.

"That's no excuse for breaking the rules, Harry. You know better; we're in our last year here, and we need to be more cautious."

Harry didn't argue. There was no winning an argument with Hermione, so the best thing to do was wait it out. Hermione sighed.

"So what was Malfoy doing?" she asked. Harry shrugged.

"I dunno."

"He had his broom with him." Ron said helpfully. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Why would he…?"

"You attention, please!" Professor McGonagall's voice rose above the crowd, and the students slowly stopped talking.

"I'm afraid there's been an incident here at Hogwarts that questions the security here, so the Headmaster wants you all to head down to the Great Hall for an emergency announcement. Do so in an orderly fashion, and stay together as a group."

The murmur of voices began to rise again, but McGonagall's glare cut them short.

"Prefects, I want you to guide the rest and keep them in line. You are responsible for getting everyone to the Hall, so make sure no one strays away. You are to leave immediately." McGonagall swept out of the room, closing the portrait door behind her.    

At once the entire room burst into a cacophony of noise; with everyone talking at once, as well as the Hermione and the prefects trying to be heard above everyone else. 

Finally Ron resorted to using a firecracker spell that he'd learned from Fred the summer before. The sharp noise and bright flash made everyone fall silent. Hermione took over in her roll as head girl.

"Everyone grab a partner and form lines. I want the first years up front, followed by the second, and third, and so on. Harry, Ron, Lavender, I want you to stay close to the younger students in case something happens. Everyone else just keep watch and _stay in line!_" 

Harry moved to the front of the forming line, so that he was on the opposite side of it from Ron. Lavender was a few pairs back, keeping the second and third years out of trouble. A little first year girl – Harry had to think for a moment to remember her name – Selene, looked up at Harry with tears in her eyes.

"Is something really bad going to happen?" she asked fearfully. Harry smiled at her, looking for more cheerful and confident than her felt. 

"No, of course not. Professor Dumbledore just wants to make sure everyone is safe. You know nothing really bad can happen to us while he's here."

The young girl smiled bravely at him. 

"I guess you're right."

Harry spent the entire walk down to the Great Hall hoping to any gods that might be listening that he _was_ right.

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I know, not as much happened in this chapter as I might have liked. 

But you have to enjoy the suspense. What exactly is happening at Hogwarts, and what do Draco and the other Slytherin have to do with it?

Find out soon, (I hope) in the next instalment. 

The lyrics at the beginning are to Martina McBride's 'The Great Disguise'

I do enjoy reviews, even if it's only to point out a mistake. Anything to make this story more enjoyable to all you readers. 

Keep the Plot Bunnies active!

The Silver Muse


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